Spring 2009 Preview!

As the Fall and Winter shows are finishing, here’s a preview of the Spring 2009 shows premiering next week and beyond. There aren’t quite as many new shows premiering as last fall – 28 major titles not including kiddie stuff or OVAs – but that still leaves a huge variety of shows. And for once my schedule isn’t filled with continuing series, so theoretically I can watch something new for every day of the week (unlike this past Winter season when I had almost all of the Fall shows carrying over). As usual, I’ll try to watch the first episode of as many shows as I can within certain parameters (in other words, not the kiddie shows), and what I list here are the chances of me actually blogging something based on my initial impressions from promotional material. However, even if I list the chances for a show as good or guaranteed, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll stick with it for more than a few episodes.

By no means does this list reflect every single anime series that is going to be aired, though I did try to be as comprehensive as I could. Check out MOON PHASE for an entire listing, syoboi’s calendar for specific air-times, and Fansub Wiki’s Spring 2009 page for who’s tentatively subbing what.

Technical Note: All times are given in a 24-hour, relative-day format where times are extended to show which day they belong to. For instance, Friday morning at 1:30AM would become Thursday at 25:30 to show that the episode aired late Thursday night.

Sengoku BASARAhttp://www.sengokubasara.tv/
Premiere on April 1st, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 25:34
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 12:34
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
This anime is based on the video games of the same name (also known as Devil Kings), and that in turn was based very very very loosely on 16th century Japanese history. The story follows two famous figures, Oda Nobunaga and Date Masamune, who are fighting and trying to unite Japan under their own control. The promos show quite a bit of action, which is always promising, and it’s being worked on by a Production I.G team, but something about this makes me wary. Maybe it’s because I still remember the last Capcom game made into an anime, Devil May Cry. Then again, I may still end up watching this because there are very few Wednesday shows this spring.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Queen’s Blade – Rurou no Senshihttp://queensblade.tv/
Premiere on April 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 08:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 19:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Queen’s Blade is about a competition to choose a beautiful queen, and all the contestants are big breasted warrior women. They threw in some tentacle monsters for good measure, making this probably the closest you can get to straight up hentai. Certainly the promos (see below) are filled with nudity and ridiculous character designs, including one character whose bra is a pair of hands formed by her hair. And given that ARMS and GENCO are producing this and AT-X is airing it, I suspect that it’ll turn out similarly to Ikkitousen: DD and GG, though it’s been announced that the AT-X version will indeed feature nudity. All this is to say that I’m not expecting this show to be very deep, however in its defense, it’s got one helluva cast, from Hirano Aya to Kawasumi Ayako to Noto Mamiko to Tanaka Rie and Kugimiya Rie. I might watch an episode of this just to see how far they push the envelope, but there are too many other potentially good Thursday shows to take this one seriously.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Asura Cryin’http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/asura/
Premiere on April 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 09:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 20:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Also airing on AT-X Thursday mornings is a new series about a boy haunted by his (female) childhood friend. That sounds like standard fare, but the story also involves a mysterious suitcase, a destroyed world, and a dimension traveling mecha of some sort. I’m not quite sure what to make of all that, but it sounds like it has potential, and the series is based on a fairly long line of light novels. In addition, the Seven Arcs team from Inukami! and Nanoha A’s will be working on this, but I dunno if that’s a net positive or not.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Basquash!http://basquash.com/
Premiere on April 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:25
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:25
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
From the creator of Macross Frontier comes a new series about basketball playing mecha that features shoes designed by NIKE. I know that sounds kind of silly at first, but this show has a lot going for it, including the aforementioned fact that it’s made by Kawamori Shouji. There’s also a large cast of characters who are voiced by a group that includes all three lead voice actors from Macross Frontier – Nakamura Yuuichi, Endou Aya, and Nakajima Megumi – though they’ll be in lesser roles this time around. There is a ton of promotional material for this show, and they show off some high production quality and hip-hop style music (unfortunately, no Yoko Kanno). It reminds me of a cross of Michiko to Hatchin and Gurren Lagann, and I think this has the potential to be quite good.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

PandoraHeartshttp://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/ph/
Premiere on April 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:29
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:29
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
PandoraHearts is about a boy who gets thrown into a prison world (think twisted Alice in Wonderland) and enters into a contract with a powerful but feisty girl. After escaping, the two work together to help him figure out his sin and find her memories. Now this is a series I’ve heard a lot of good things about, but when I tried to read the manga myself, I just couldn’t get into it. There’s a strong fantasy horror aspect to this, and the anime adaptation has Kajiura Yuki working on the music, but the impression the manga left on me means that I probably won’t be watching this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

K-ON!http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/k-on/
Premiere on April 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:59
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:59
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Airing directly after PandoraHearts is Kyoto Animation’s newest series about a group of girls who join their school’s music club and form a band consisting of guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums. Like Lucky Star, this is based on a 4-koma manga, and it’s going to be worked on by some of the same KyoAni staff. I doubt it’s going to be the exact same style as Lucky Star though since I suspect that this series will end up being a bit less comedy and a bit more music. Regardless, our resident Lucky Star fan/expert Jaalin is very excited about this series and will likely be blogging it.
Odds I’ll Jaalin Will Blog This: Good

Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~http://www.phantom-r.jp/
Premiere on April 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 26:15
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 13:15
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
The Phantom in the title of this series is the name of a young female assassin whose identity gets exposed to a seemingly normal boy, but the boy turns out to have what it takes to be an assassin himself, and this is their story. This is a series being made by Bee Train and Mashimo Kouichi, and although the plot indicates that it’s not entirely girls-with-guns, they could have fooled me with the promo and image on the official site. That promo video actually does a decent job of raising my interest in the series, however I’m still very wary of Bee Train series, so odds are that I’ll skip this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Hayate no Gotoku!!http://hayatenogotoku.com/
Premiere on April 3rd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 25:23
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 12:23
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
After a year off the air, Hayate is back with a new season. If you’re a fan of the title, you’ve probably already watched the episode 0 OVA that came out earlier this month and are already reacquainted with the series. For everyone else, Hayate is a comedy about a boy who’s heavily in debt and becomes a butler for a very rich girl, and the crazy things that happen to him. The main difference between the first season and this new one is that J.C.Staff will be handling the animation production instead of SynergySP, though based on the episode 0 OVA, it still feels like the same series. That’s great if you enjoyed the first installment, but given that I didn’t find it particularly funny and dropped it because it was pretty average overall, I’m not all that eager to jump back in.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Arad Senki ~Slap Up Party~http://www.sup-arad.jp/
Premiere on April 3rd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 26:45
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 13:45
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Fresh off their most recent MMORPG anime project, the Tower of Druaga, Gonzo is turning another MMO into an anime. This time it’s Korean MMO Dungeon & Fighter, and the anime’s story revolves around a hero who’s been cursed with a demon arm and goes on a journey to get to the bottom of the curse that caused it. It doesn’t sound like much, and given that I disliked how Druaga turned out, I’m not really inclined to give Gonzo the benefit of the doubt here.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Gokujou!! Mecha Mote Iinchouhttp://mechamote.tv/
Premiere on April 4th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 09:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 20:20
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
This Saturday morning shoujo series is about a high school girl who’s been unsuccessful at love and decides to strive to be a perfect class representative, along the way having to deal with an unrequited love of hers. If you liked Kirarin Revolution or series like that, you might enjoy this too, but I’m probably going to skip it.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen on televisionhttp://www.shin-mazinger.com/
Premiere on April 4th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 23:20
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 10:20
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboiNagai Gou‘s classic super robot series Mazinger is coming back to TV in a new show featuring some old faces. The series will once again have Kabuto Kouji and the Mazinger Z battling the evil Dr. Hell and his minions, and it’s going to be directed by the renowned Imagawa Yasuhiro. I haven’t seen the original Mazinger Z, but I’m interested in this one given the history behind it, and the short promo from this year’s Tokyo Animation Fair looked pretty good.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica crimson Shttp://www.polyphonica.tv/
Premiere on April 4th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 25:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 12:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Based on a series of kinetic novels, Polyphonica takes place in a world where people can contract with spirits and bring out their powers with special music. The first Polyphonica anime aired two years ago, and although I didn’t personally watch it, the reviews for it have generally not been great. In fact, I had a really hard time finding a person I knew who watched all the episodes from beginning to end. The good thing about this second series is that it’s being made by an entirely different studio and staff – and thus has a completely different look – while the cast is still the same (including Tomatsu Haruka who seems to be getting more and more popular every season). Still, it’s unlikely that I’ll watch this when there’s something much more enticing airing at almost the exact same time…
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Senjou no Valkyriahttp://www.valkyria-anime.com/
Premiere on April 4th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 25:35
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 12:35
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Based on a recent Playstation 3 RPG, Senjou no Valkyria follows the son of a war hero who gets swept up commanding a unit against an invasion in an alternate world 1930s Europe. At this point in time I still don’t own a PS3, but this game got me very close to buying one. It was a tactical RPG getting really good reviews, and it had a very strong voice cast featuring Inoue Marina as the female lead. I didn’t have the money or the time, but luckily this anime was announced with most of the cast intact, so theoretically I can watch it and get the same general story experience. I’m still a little wary though after having a less-than-stellar experience with the Abyss anime adaptation, so hopefully this will be better.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Cross Gamehttp://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/crossgame/
Premiere on April 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 10:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 21:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
The most recent series by famous mangaka Adachi Mitsuru, Cross Game is a mix of romance/comedy/slice-of-life and baseball. It starts with an elementary school boy who’s quite a good hitter and is close to a family of four girls, one of whom was born on the exact same day as him and more or less acts like his wife. The story jumps ahead a few years after a certain event happens (saying any more would spoil it) and progresses from junior high school to high school when that boy joins the school baseball team. The manga turned out to be much, much better than I was expecting, so I’m hoping SynergySP does a good job with this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Fullmetal Alchemisthttp://www.hagaren.jp/
Premiere on April 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 17:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 04:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Almost five years after the original, Fullmetal Alchemist is back with a new series that’s not a sequel but is instead going to be a retelling based more on the original manga. For those of you unacquainted with the show, it’s about a pair of brothers who are pursuing the Philosopher’s Stone after trying – and failing – to revive their dead mother using alchemy and paying the price with their bodies. I loved the first series, but I haven’t read the manga (and at this point I’m intentionally not so I don’t spoil myself), and I’m very curious to see how this new series will be different. Key members of the cast and staff are the same, but a lot is different (Inoue Kikuko as Lust should be interesting), and I’m hoping Irie Yasuhiro does a good job as director. Regardless, I’m definitely going to be watching this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Hanasakeru Seishounenhttp://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/hana/
Premiere on April 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 23:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 10:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Based on a manga by the same author who created Jyu-Oh-Sei, this series is about a girl who’s told by her powerful father that she’ll be given a choice of three men that he’s selected for her. They’re not aware of this though, and whoever she chooses has to want her as well. Apparently there’s also some political intrigue thrown in, related to the succession of a throne. I thought the manga started out a bit slow, but it turned out to be a decent read for at least the first volume. Still, I have my doubts that this is the kind of series I’d want to blog three seasons of, and for better or worse, Kon Chiaki is directing it.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Guin Sagahttp://www.guinsaga.net/
Premiere on April 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 23:29
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 10:29
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
The epic fantasy novel series Guin Saga is getting an anime adaptation by Satelight. Beginning with the story of royal twins who, after their parents were slain, get saved by a man with a leopard head named Guin, this novel series currently stretches 125 volumes plus an additional 21 volumes of side stories. It boggles my mind how much that is, and I can only assume the anime will cover but a fraction of it unless it plans to go on forever as well. The promo was interesting enough, but aside from the potential for some truly epic storytelling, I think the main draw to this show will probably be the fact that Uematsu Nobuo of Final Fantasy fame is in charge of the music. Given all that, if I have time on Sundays, there’s a good chance I’ll be watching this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Shangri-lahttp://www.anime-shangri-la.jp/
Premiere on April 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 24:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 11:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
As the title implies, Shangri-la involves a place of sanctuary after Tokyo is turned into a jungle, but only the privileged few can live there. Fighting for the have-nots is a girl and her rag-tag band which, among other things, includes two transvestites. I mention them in particular because the official site is intentionally keeping their respective voice actors a secret. In any case, the series seems to have some environmental and sci-fi themes going, and the story sounds interesting enough, plus May’n is going to be singing the opening song, however I’m wary because this is a Gonzo series, and as I said above, I’m not keen on watching another one of their works right now. Shangri-la certainly sounds better than Arad Senki though.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Tayutama -Kiss on my Deity-http://www.tayutama.com/
Premiere on April 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 24:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 11:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Based on the Lump of Sugar created game from last year, Tayutama is about the son of a Shinto priest who accidentally releases spirits called Tayutais into the real world. Semi-goddess Mashiro is born into the human world to assist him in dealing with these spirits (thanks to Mentar for clearing this up for me). The promo looks sort of like standard romance/comedy/harem fare with a monster-of-the-week element thrown in, meaning that it didn’t really stand out to me, but a few people have said that the game’s story is pretty good, so I’m not quite sure what to expect.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Natsu no Arashi!http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/natsunoarashi/
Premiere on April 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 25:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 12:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Natsu no Arashi is about a boy who one summer meets a beautiful and somewhat old-fashioned girl. Something is strange about her though, and he begins to think that she’s a ghost after seeing her in a photo from 60 years ago. This is based on a Kobayashi Jin manga, but unlike School Rumble which was a school comedy with some romance thrown in, Natsu no Arashi is more of a drama and mystery with sci-fi and historical elements. Since Shinbou and SHAFT are producing this though, the comedic elements may be played up. In any case, I found the manga a little slow in the beginning, but it got more interesting as it went on. That would normally be enough to get me to watch this, but given how many other Sunday shows there are, this might get lower priority.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Tears to Tiarahttp://tearstotiara.jp/
Premiere on April 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 25:35
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 12:35
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
From the people that brought us Utawarerumono comes a new anime based on another Leaf game. Tears to Tiara takes place in a fantasy world where a girl is used to release a demon king, but he saves her and she falls in love with him. The two are joined by her brother and a lot of female characters, many of whom become wives to the demon king. The same team that worked on Utawarerumono will be working on this, and it’s got a pretty strong cast (Gotou Yuuko, Nakahara Mai, Tanaka Rie, Ookawa Tooru), so I’m hoping for good things.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Sakihttp://www.saki-anime.com/
Premiere on April 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 26:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 13:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Gonzo’s third show for the spring season follows the rise of two high school girls who end up in the same mahjong club on their way to the national tournament. Although it might at first look like a light-hearted series with a lot of cute characters, this is very much a sports series about mahjong and reminds me a bit of Hikaru no Go in that regard. The manga strives to make mahjong exciting, sometimes trying a bit too hard with imaginary sequences, but it’s been a good read. I think my main problem with it and potentially with the anime as well is that I don’t know enough about mahjong and tend to easily get lost when they start talking about games. And despite my wariness of Gonzo (Dragonaut’s director is in charge of this *shudder*), I’m attracted to the anime because it has a very nice cast including Koshimizu Ami, Kugimiya Rie, Ueda Kana, and Fukuyama Jun.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

07-GHOSThttp://07-ghost.net/
Premiere on April 6th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at 25:40
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Mondays at 12:40
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Having successfully adapted Hatenkou Yuugi and Amatsuki into anime series, Studio DEEN is once again drawing from the female-targeted Comic ZERO-SUM magazine and adapting 07-GHOST. This series is about a boy of mysterious origin who starts in a military school but ends up getting hunted by them and escapes to a church. The ghosts referred to in the title are Shinigami-like figures who are part of the church. This is very much an action series (the manga was much better than I expected) and may be an ideal replacement for SOUL EATER on Mondays, but I’m not a big fan of the character designs and wish a different studio was working on this. For whatever reason the promotional video (see below) makes me want to see the show less than I did after reading some of the manga.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Souten Kourohttp://www.ntv.co.jp/souten/
Premiere on April 7th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 24:59
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 11:59
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Souten Kouro is adapted from a manga that takes a different approach to the Three Kingdoms period story by following Cao Cao – who is normally portrayed as a villain – as the hero. I have to admit that I’ve never gotten into the Three Kingdoms story (yea, I know that I’m missing out) and tend not to be interested in historical series, but maybe Madhouse and Miyano Mamoru can change my mind – somehow I doubt it, especially since Bleach is still going every Tuesday.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Ristorante Paradisohttp://www.rispara.tv/
Premiere on April 8th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 26:08
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 13:08
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Ristorante Paradiso is a quirky series about an Italian girl who’s estranged from her mother and decides to visit the restaurant of the man her mother got remarried to. She is attracted to the restaurant and its staff of older gentlemen, so she becomes an apprentice there. I read through the first couple of chapters of the manga (flipped through the rest of the first volume) and found it to be interesting enough as a character drama, though I think the anime might end up being a little boring. The promos show that the anime’s style and colors are somewhat reminiscent of Honey and Clover or Nodame Cantabile, but this is being produced by david production, not J.C.Staff. There are few new Wednesday shows though this spring season, so if I feel the urge to watch something on Wednesdays, this might be it.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Eden of the Easthttp://juiz.jp/
Premiere on April 9th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 24:45
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 11:45
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
If Ristorante Paradiso isn’t your thing and you want the series that truly looks like Honey and Clover, then look no further than Eden of the East because it’s got H&C’s mangaka Umino Chika doing character designs. And after seeing the trailer, it also happens to be one of the series I’m most excited about. Being animated by Production I.G, Eden of the East is an original story of a Japanese girl on a trip to America who gets saved by a naked guy in front of the White House. The guy, who is also Japanese, has no memories and carries only a gun and a cell phone with tons of money on it. The mystery deepens to involve terrorism and a missile attack on Tokyo. The trailer really, really impressed me, particularly their choice of music (I can already tell that I’m going to love the ED), so I’m really looking forward to seeing this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Hatsukoi Limited.http://www.j-hatsukoi.com/
Premiere on April 11th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 24:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 11:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Other than the Hayate sequel, the only other new show J.C.Staff is working on is Hatsukoi Limited, a series based on a manga by the creator of Ichigo 100%. This is probably the epitome of idealized school romance and comedy, and it features a huge cast of characters – both high school and junior high – falling in love in some way or another. It was a fun series to read in a guilty pleasure sort of way, and I’m interested to see how the anime will turn out – the promos certainly make it look quite nice. Jaalin has expressed an interest in this as well, so one of us will very likely blog it.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

I didn’t include in the above list Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari (because it’s an OVA), the La Corda D’Oro ~secondo passo~ (because it’s only a special), Dragonball Kai (not a new series), the reairing of Suzumiya Haruhi, or any kiddie shows. Even without these, there are actually a ton of shows that I’m interested in out of the above list, with my interest highest probably for Eden of the East and Fullmetal Alchemist. My main complaint is that the vast majority of the shows are airing during the latter half of the week – especially Thursdays and Sundays – leaving few for Monday through Wednesday. Thus I might play around with the schedule if I have free time on certain days and not others, meaning that I might blog a Sunday show on Monday or something. Regardless, it should be an exciting season.

Queen’s Blade is interesting because of the voice cast. :V The premise is one I haven’t seen in awhile, and I can deal with the nudity, lol, as it’s like Sekirei, which I’m still waiting for the 2nd season. ._. As for others, I’ll see them as they air. :D

Just saw Eden of the East, looks pretty good. FMA is a must watch and despite it being Gonzo, I’ll probably watch Shangri-La. K-On is on my list because it’s KyoAni and Queen Blade too for the tits and laughs. I’m ambivalent about 07-Ghost as the character designs aren’t my cup of tea and like Omni, I wish some other studio was doing it. I expect Tears to Tiara to be bad but the premise sounds interesting.

Fullmetal Alchemist, and East of Eden are going to be epic. Guin Saga’s production values and plot seem poised on achieving epicness as well, but I concur with Omni, the legendary Nobou Uematsu’s first anime effort in music should be something for the ages. Bring on the season!

Ill be watching FMA
East of Ededn looks like it could be pretty good, but there’s very little info so. . .
Ive pretty much given up on anything by Gonzo but Shangri-la might haven enough other people working on it to be good

it is funny hearing people going all over the place, “this season looks great, will be watching ……(goes on to list like 8 shows)” or “eh, i’ll watch, (names one show) but the rest dont look too good, disappointing season”. personally, i think this upcoming season should be pretty good. i really want to watch East of Eden, Shangri-la (range Murata character designs ftw), and FMA, and then there are plenty of shows that i would like to look into (Asura Cryin piqued my interest)

Well with alot of anime series coming in: Watch three or four shows and it sucks we don’t have any Science Fiction anime, between aliens, humans and demons. Seriously can we see an anime between Aliens and Humans and possibly Demons.

Following anime that are must watch:

Eden of the East
Valkyria Chronicles
Queens Blade
Natsuo no Arashi
Fullmetal Alchemist:Brotherhood

I’ll admit that I came here to read your Bleach coverage (as well as your thoughts on other shows that I’d just recently seen like Blood+, Haruhi Suzumiya and Gundam 00) but I look forward to the spring line up. I’ll be following your thoughts on the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Guin Saga and your continued interest in Bleach. To a lesser degree I’ll probably also do my own blogging on my given website, but it’s limited to first impressions, plot analysis and reviews.

I’ve been reading your thoughts for a year now and Random Curiosity one of my favorite anime blogs. I enjoy referring others to it via my own blog and word of mouth when I can. :D

Oh I’m disappointed you gave Pandora Hearts a rating of ‘poor’. I love the anime and I think it’s worth watching. Although the manga doesn’t make all that sense I must admit but the anime is clearer. I think it’s worth watching but then again it might just be to my liking~

Is anyone else finding Suzumiya Haruhi’s repetitive episodes quite annoying? I hope we don’t have much more of this Endless Eight stuff ):.